Hi, is there any way of being on this diet without spending alot of money every week, seems all the healthy stuff is expensive and I can't really afford it. Only thing I seem to get plenty of is frozen steamfresh broccoli and light ice creams from edy's.

I've read alot of success on this diet, and my doctor suggested I go on it because I'm obese and are borderline for High Blood Pressure. I would really like to try it out but can't they make a diet for people that are on a tight budget? I've tried the "cheap" diets like restricting and starving and found it has never worked.

If you are considering the South Beach Diet, eating 4 1/2 cups of vegetables every day is essential for success. Fresh vegetables and fruits are coming into season right now, and aren't all that costly. And when the season is over, I just substitute frozen veggies for the fresh. I can usually find some good sales if I check the weekly ads.

The Edy's Light Ice Cream is a no-no for South Beachers. Look for No Sugar Added ice cream instead, and make sure to stick to the 1/2 cup serving.

My husband and I save a lot more money now that we buy more "real" food. We're not strictly South Beachers, but what we are trying to eat is pretty close. Fresh fruits and vegetables (and frozen and canned) are not expensive when you compare them to many convenience foods.

My mother, used to complain about the costs of fruits and vegetables whenever we were dieting for years until we started comparing the cost to foods they would be replacing. Wow 30 cents for an apple or pear is outrageous - until you compare it to a candy bar.

There are inexpensive ways to eat good, wholesome "real" foods. Some of them require more planning or preparation, but even that is doable on most schedules. If you search here on "budget" or "saving money" you will find a lot of threads that will help you find affordable South Beach friendly foods.

It can be done at a reasonable cost. You do not have to follow the exact menus in the book, they are for examples. Look at it this way, what is the real cost of unhealthy eating, not only in $, but to your quality of life?

__________________Life's a journey, not a destination.It's easier to stay on plan than to get back on plan.

Ice cream, chips and junk food are expensive! Skim milk is cheaper than full fat milk. Beans are very inexpensive. I have used hot water to rinse the fattier ground beef after draining the fat off. You can stay on a budget with this diet. It just takes careful planning. Your health is worth it, especially if you can lower your blood pressure and risk of other complications. In the long run, it's worth it.

No price can be put on good health, but everyone has to work within the budget they have. If there is an option to bring in more income, or room in the budget to make other sacrifices that's wonderful, but sometimes there isn't.

And when there isn't, you have to learn to be creative. There are tons of websites and posts here on saving money on food, budgeting and frugal eating, many of which can be used in conjunction with South Beach. Books I've found helpful (and can be borrowed from the library or found inexpensively on amazon.com and other used bookstores online and live) are "The Tightwad Gazette," "Good Cheap Food," and "The TVP Cookbook."

I combine tvp (textured vegetable protein) with ground meat to make the meat go further (I like tvp on its own in recipes, but hubby doesn't. It's about 1/3 the cost of ground beef or less). TVP should be South Beach friendly as it is defatted soybean.

Beans are extremely cheap dry. Making a large batch and freezing makes them very handy to use as needed. (shake the bag around every 10 minutes or so until frozen so the beans stay seperated when frozen so you can scoop out what you need).

Sprouting can be very cheap. There are great websites on sprouting that can give you tips on saving money and making good sprouts. Basically a glass jar and piece of netting or fabric and some seeds (the websites tell you where to get good, cheap seeds) and a few days is all you need. You rinse 2 to 4 times a day, and that's really all the maintenance they need. I've never had a problem rinsing just twice, but if you're living somewhere very hot and humid, some seeds may have to be rinsed more often.

Farmer's Markets, and discount chains like Aldi and Walmart can be very helpful on a very tight budget. Asian grocery and health food stores can be a bargain if you're careful. Buying in bulk can help if you have the space and appropriate storage. Buying salad greens and other vegetables and fruits precut tends to be much more expensive, so if you can put aside some time for food prep, you can save alot of money.

Using the weekly ads in the newspaper can be helpful (but a little time consuming), but some stores, like Walmart, will match the prices of competitors. So, if you take any other local store flyer with you to Walmart, they will match any competitor's price. It's always worth asking, even in smaller stores if they can match a competitor's sale ad.

There's alot of good tips and info out there, and it's not too hard to find. A google or other search engine search of phrases like frugal living, saving money, healthy eating on a budget, thrifty moms (even if you're not a mom) .... and you'll find tons of stuff.

JellyBean - I see you live in CT. This is the best time of year to start SB in CT - the local farmer's markets are all over the place. Local produce is plentiful and inexpensive compared to the rest of the year! This is the time to go for it!
I also echo the sentiments of others that eating junk food and fast food is expensive! You have to remember that yes, you are purchasing different foods than you normally do, but you are also NOT purchasing foods that you would have previously. It does balance out quite nicely. I haven't seen any need to alter my budget for food since starting SB. I've been spending what I normally do - actually, a bit less. Good Luck!

If it is any comfort, I too, jellybean, am on a tight budget. However, as many have pointed out before if you use your noodle (brain) you can really "work around" a cash flow problem. I wish I could grow my own. I used to and I took it for granted. If you can try starting a garden, even if it is only a few tomato plants, I would recommend that. I never liked carrots until I actually grew them myself. Food that is allowed to ripen to its maturity tastes so much better than the stuff that is trucked cross country. The only way you will believe me is to do it yourself.

I like the idea though of doing more meatless meals especially during these summer months when everything is so fresh.

When I started this I wasn't coming from a fast food/junk food way of eating. I hadn't done that in years but I still had to reel in some of the bad habits that are definitely off-plan with this way of eating.

Give yourself some slack. If you can eat 50&#37; the SBD way for now then go for that. If you can increase that to 75% then do that and so on. Rome wasn't built in a day.

And,sometimes, eating healthy starts with one meal which leads to another and then another..... good luck

Ya, I try and eat more healthy these days, and my mother says it's a waste buying healthy food if I'm just gonna eat junk the other days I don't eat healthy.. but I told her eating healthy more is a start, not eating junk ALL the time.. for years I've probably lacked alot of vitamins for my unhealthy eating habits.

But OMG she bought this roasted veggies thing, I tried it and it was SO GROSS cause it had all these spices in it and veggies I've never eaten before.. I dunno what I'm gonna do with all this healthy food that I "don't like"